zowe/zowe-explorer-vscode

Misleading error message during SSO login

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#4,428 opened on Jul 24, 2026

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 (3 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)TypeScript (119 forks)auto 404
buggood first issuepriority-lowseverity-low

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Description

Describe the bug

When using Zowe Explorer with a flat profile and no default base profile, an Manage Profile -> Login to Authentication Service will fail with the following error notification in VSCode:

Login failed: No base profile found to store SSO token for profile "<my_flat_profile>"

Base profiles will work for SSO login but are not strictly required; the flat profile can either be converted to a nested profile underneath another profile, or a default base profile can be added to the TC. The error message (as I read it) currently indicates base profiles are required for SSO.

To Reproduce

  • Create a flat profile in TC.
  • Add the profile, right-click Manage Profile -> Login to Authentication Service.
  • See the misleading error dialog

Expected behavior

The dialog should better describe the problem and actions the user can take to address the issue.

Desktop (please complete the following information):

  • OS: MacOS
  • Zowe Explorer Version: 3.5.1

Additional context

n/a

Contributor guide

Research direction
Locate where the error message 'No base profile found to store SSO token for profile ...' is generated in the codebase. Understand the login flow for flat profiles versus base profiles, and identify why the message is misleading. Look for tests related to SSO login to see expected behavior.
Tech stack
typescript
Domain
frontendauthentication
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
GitTypeScript
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
80